New | Netflix extends its global reach to China – but not on its own terms

Through exclusive licensing deal with Chinese streaming-video provider iQiyi, Netflix finally taps into mainland China’s US$8.83 billion online video market

The latest season of Netflix’s hit TV series Stranger Things is expected to be available to iQiyi’s more than 20 million paid subscribers. Photo: Handout

Netflix moved a step closer to worldwide dominance with a major licensing deal that enables its original programmes to gain access to China, a vast entertainment market that has long eluded the world’s largest pay-TV service.

Through an exclusive licensing deal with iQiyi, China’s major streaming-video provider controlled by the country’s internet giant Baidu, Netflix is expected to bring a wide range of content to China, where the online video market was valued at US$8.83 billion in 2016, slightly bigger than Netflix’s global streaming revenue of US$8.3 billion in the same year.

Print option is available for subscribers only.
SUBSCRIBE NOW
Copyright © 2025 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.